“A Dozen at a Blow.” Europa’s Fairy Book, Joseph Jacobs, New York, London: G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 1916, pp. 81-89.

Tale Summary

There was once a little tailor, who one summer day set aside bread with jam for his lunch. Noticing a number of flies on his lunch, the tailor brought a leather strap down on it, killing twelve instantly. Mighty proud, he stitched a shoulder sash with the words: “A Dozen at One Blow” and set out to do big things, packing some cream cheese and a favorite blackbird. He soon met a giant, who would not accept the little tailor as an equal, until he read his sash. The giant tested him to see if he had the same strength; the giant squeezed a rock so hard water came out and the tailor squeezed his cream cheese until the cream ran out, then the giant threw a stone very far, and the tailor threw his blackbird which flew away. Impressed, the giant invited him to be with the other giants, and on the way the tailor tricked the giant into carrying him by pretending to carry the top half of a tree while the giant carried the trunk. The giants feared he would do them harm, and whispered that they would slay him in the night. The little tailor was suspicious of their low voices, and so put in his bed a bladder full of blood. The giants were stunned to see the little tailor alive and well the next day, having beaten his bed until bloody the night before. He went on his way until he came to the King’s court, where some courtiers noticed the words on his sash and alerted the King. The little tailor was brought before him, and was promised the princess’s hand in marriage along with half the kingdom, if he could slay the wild boar that was terrorizing the land, among other things. The little tailor found the boar and ran into a chapel in the woods, tricked the boar to follow, and trapped him inside. He impressed the King with his story of wrestling the boar, and was then assigned to bringing back the unicorn which had been killing everyone it met. The little tailor found it, dodged it behind trees, and tricked it into piercing a trunk. He dug it out with a hatchet after tying a rope around its neck, and brought it back to the King, who next instructed him to kill two murderous giants. The little tailor found them sleeping and climbed a tree until he was far above them, and from there threw a rock which struck one of them. The injured giant woke the other up angrily, but he denied hitting him and they went back to sleep. Again, the little tailor threw a stone at the first giant, and started an argument between the two until one was dead and the other so injured that he was easily slain. As promised, the little tailor was given half the kingdom and married the princess. One night, she overheard her husband talking in his sleep about sewing, and went to her father distraught that she had really married a tailor. The king sent in a number of soldiers to slay the little tailor as he slept. Hearing them in the room, the little tailor pretended to be talking in his sleep, saying:

“I have killed a dozen at a blow; I have slain two giants; I have caught a wild boar by his bristles, and captured a unicorn alive. Show me the man that I need fear.”

The soldiers were frightened and refused to try to harm him. The princess reconsidered, and her and the little tailor lived together happily ever afterwards.